Only a Plank Between One and Perdition
by Koneko
Summary: Tidus Corelli, the son of a Zanarkand blitzball hero, is on trial for the murder of his father.
1. Chapter One

A/N: Yes, I'm back, but it's not an Inu fic this time. Sorry. I know some people liked my older stories, but I'm a bit ashamed of them. They were the typical fall in love, kill evil, small twist, everything's happy again. I don't want to do that for this story.

This one has been inspired by The Fountainhead, boredom, Unsolved Mysteries, American Justice, boredom, the story _Uptown Boys_ (I don't know why) and Cold Case Files. Some of the situations here are things that have happened to me personally and some names are taken from my life.

Anyway, the title for this one came from (oddly enough) FF8. And the chapter title came from Star Trek (the original series). I'm sure they got that title from some poet or other.

Fanfic has changed so drastically, so I have no idea how to classify this story!

**Only a Plank Between One and Perdition**

**Chapter One — _. . . for the world is hollow, and I have touched the sky_**

He was engrossed in his observations.

The young man saw the wispy tendrils of cold, artificial air swim through the expensive material of his suit jacket. As he watched the air he thought about his suit and could not fathom why he was wearing the bothersome thing. He knew the people he was supposed to be examining didn't care jack-squat about his appearance. His life and family had been so widely publicize that everyone felt they knew him already anyway.

He reflected on his last thought and realized for the first time the deep trouble he was in. These people already had a preconceived notion of him, and it probably was not good. His aloofness was not helping his defense either.

He looked up with eyes that shimmered an eerie blue under the florescent light despite the lack of emotion behind them. Unfortunately for him, a potential juror decided to glare at him in that instant and glared even harder when the young man in question did not react.

_Oh well,_ the young man thought. _It matters not. This is just a formality. A highly costly one, but a formality all the same._

"Hey, what do you think about this one?"

He almost jumped out of his skin when his lawyer spoke to him. The shock of not feeling the hot breath on his ear was almost too much of a surprise for him.

"I don't care; they're all the same to me."

Dr. Yaeger, the young man's attorney, sighed inaudibly.

Through hard work and perseverance Nikita Yaegar survived a traumatic immigration from Bikanel, an education in Spiran laws, his first marriage and subsequent divorce, law school, his second marriage and an angry ex-wife, two daughters, a burned down house via his jealous ex-wife, and post graduate work in anthropology. He realized that all the surveys he had taken or essays he'd written in graduate school would never prepare him for the enigma sitting next to him—that is, his young client.

He almost lost it when he saw his client look away and flick an imaginary piece of lint off his padded shoulders. His attitude wasn't helping them at all, and it was pissing off his assistants.

The clients he normally took on had done something for him that proved their innocence, but this guy was blatantly guilty. So why was he representing the scum?

He hated unsolved puzzles, and he knew he would get paid this time.

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

Tidus Arcangelo Corelli sighed as he walked down the courthouse steps. He wished he could take the expensive suit jacked off.

The jury selection process left him numb and literally unfeeling. He jumped every time his lawyer got close and almost screamed when the scalding sun scorched his face. Other than that, the open glares he received from the potential jurors, his attorney's assistants, and the reporters and cameras, he was fine.

As Tidus got used to the shackles around his legs and the sight of the overly armed vehicle, he reflected on the courthouse interior. The seats could be pews, the jury box — maybe a choirs' resting place. . .

_Separation of church and State, huh?_

Tidus took a deep breath of Bevelle air. If anything, everything in Bevelle felt spiritual. Tidus was not against anyone with a little faith. But sometimes he felt it was a little overdone. It felt like someone had sprayed an excess amount of air freshener to cover up a bad stench.

It was so bad that even a simple hot stand felt like a friggin' temple. Thinking of a Blitzball fan bowing over a Yevon icon while he paid for his hotdog, he felt the bubble rise and tried to keep it down. When the pressure became too much, he let go and gave the loudest laugh he had ever had in his young life.

The passers-by and onlookers stared at him, awestruck and fascinated. This was the first and likely the last display of emotion they had seen from the slightly effeminate young man.

The setting sun had a holy effect on the young man's profile. The way the light glinted off his blonde hair made him seem almost angelic in a way.

So much so that the reporters and viewers at home could not imagine that beautiful young boy killing his father. He was not their image of a cold-blooded murderer.

Months had passed since the boy was arrested and yet they still did not believe it. But then again, the first Maester didn't appear to be a serial killer, yet his misdeeds are recorded in the scrolls of every Temple in Spira.

Oh well, a cameraman thought as he got a good view of a female reporter's ass, we'll see how his trial goes.

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

The young woman waited impatiently for the stupid blue stripe to show up.

_The box said three minutes, not hours._

Her sanguine eyes crumpled in urgency as she heard the front door slam shut. It was either her roommate, or one of their friends who owned a key. Either way, whomever it was is back earlier than expected. She silently locked the door and turned the bathroom lights off. Her hands were shaking so badly that she turned the exhaust fan on instead. The girl held her mouth and listened carefully to the person's footsteps and humming that came along with it. It was Yuna, and she was going to the kitchen, thank Kamui.

She turned the lights back on and walked to the sink once more and almost screamed when she noticed the little screen for the pregnancy test was still blank. She yanked the cardboard box from the almost empty wastebasket and scanned the directions. It said nothing about a blank screen. She knew more than three minutes had passed.

_How do I get this stupid thing outside without Yuna seeing?_

She cursed her job for requiring a uniform. The black pants she wore had pseudo-pockets. After she bought them about three months ago, she put them on and tried to stick the tags into the pockets only to find out that they were false. If she hadn't taken the tags off, she would have returned them. She hated not having any pockets.

Looking around the messy bathroom she spotted the wastebasket. She balled up some tissue and dropped them, the box, and the crap tester inside and pulled the tiny bag out.

_The things I do for you._

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

Yuna turned around at the noise she heard. It sounded like someone was stinking up the bathroom. She tripped over a tall pair of boots and almost cursed when she realized whose they were. The twenty-year old glared at the bathroom door when she found a wooden paddle near the boots.

_The whole point of the paddle was to stick it on the hook so that someone knew who was in the house. _

A few weeks ago a pair of twin girls had been kidnapped off campus. Instead of packing up and going back home, the two roommates did as their RA told them and devised an ingenious security system. They made paddles for themselves and their friends. If someone were in the house they would hang their paddle on one of the hooks by the door and take it with them when the left.

It turned out that the girls weren't kidnapped after all, they just took a little "vacation." Yuna scoffed at the memory of the twins. _Blondes._

The girl giggled as she thought of her cousin who'd just enrolled into a local cosmetology school. _She would have loved that comment._

Yuna sighed as she hung to the two pieces of wood on the wall. She needed to take a nap, a very long one at that.

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

"Oh hey, Paine. Are you dumping the trash? Here, take this with you."

The girl, now known as Paine, winced when she heard Yuna's voice. It wasn't that it was high pitched or anything, she just didn't want to see her at the moment.

Yuna, her roommate, walked up to her and tried to open the small trash bag. She gasped when her friend wasn't letting go.

"Hey, what are you doing? This bag isn't even half full yet." Yuna yanked on the bag again, and was surprised, again, when her friend did not relinquish her kung-fu grip.

"Um . . . are you gonna let go anytime soon?"

Paine, deciding that her silence wasn't a good tactic, told the truth.

"No."

Paine did a double take at Yuna's shocked look. "Um, I know, but I spilled a smoothie. So . . . I-um have to--"

Yuna looked at her friend incredulously. Paine. Never. Stutters.

She peered into the bag more closely and saw what she wasn't supposed to see.

"Hey, is that---"

"Don't ask, just come with me to the Health Center and I'll fill you in on the way there."

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

The two girls basked in the late summer sun. Even though Yuna liked the social events that clubs and Greek life offered, she still wished the campus could stay as it was during the summer months --- calm and peaceful with hardly any frat boys gallivanting around, trying to con poor freshman girls into going to their parties. She'd been the victim to some silver tongues in her day. Fortunately, she had never seen the separate kegs for guys and girls at one of their parties.

Yuna sighed contentedly as a warm breeze lifted her shoulder length brown hair and cooled her neck. She reached behind to play with her hair, but remembered she cut it just a few days ago. She instantly regretted her decision after the first snip, so she asked the hair stylist to leave a long braid in the back. It looked weird at first, but she and her friends got used to it after some time.

Yuna studied her friend while absentmindedly playing with her braid. Paine looked a little flustered and fatigued. Her gray hair wasn't as perky today. She realized the cause of the deflation was the fact that the normally well-groomed girl had no gel in her hair. Yuna also noticed the lack of pale plum lipstick and the nearly invisible foundation she usually wore. In fact, Paine looked exactly how Yuna was feeling after this morning. Crap.

"I haven't told Baralai yet."

Yuna knew she had to stay silent. Whenever Paine was in the mood to talk, she did not appreciate being interrupted.

"My period still hasn't started yet. The tester wasn't working so I guess I'll have better luck at the Health Center. It's free anyway."

"Correction," Yuna started with a small smirk on her face, "there is no such thing as a free lunch. The fees are in our tuition."

"He said he was sterile, Yuna. I know, I know," Paine relented when she saw her friend's expression. "I should have used protection, but I was on the pill and we took our STD tests together, so, I kind of figured . . ."

Her voice died out quickly, however, when she felt a familiar and highly anticipated twist in her stomach.

"Oh, thank you Kamui!"

Yuna sighed at the name. _She really needs to stop watching that stupid movie._

Once Paine felt that familiar pain coming on, she grabbed Yuna's hand and ran to the Health Center. Inside, she knew the receptionist thought she was crazy, but she didn't care.

"Can I get a box of tampons?!"

**»°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°«**

A/N: To my lovely reader:

I remembered when you said the real world references were throwing you off. So I went back and changed some things. Apparently I didn't change everything because I saw Gacy in there, Germany and some other stuff that hurt my eyes. I also took the liberty, because it is my story, to make a few transitions a little bit smoother. There were missing parts between some thoughts and I figured what the heck.


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** Why do I need one? You know I don't own it!

**Only a Plank Between One and Perdition**

**Chapter Two — _Is_ _there in truth no beauty?_**

_Yuna Bustamante, you are one strange looking girl._

Yuna was doing her twice-daily facial ritual. Every time she looked into a mirror or some reflective surface, she always examined her eyes.

Ever since she was a young girl, she was picked on for her abnormal eyes. One iris, her left, was a deep shade of blue while the other was a vibrant forest green. There was no cool swirly Al Bhed design like her cousin Rikku had, or a thunderbolt design like her first roommate, Brittany Martin, had. They were just plain old eyes and plain old features. No matter how many compliments she received from random guys, she still thought she was a plain Jane. The fact that most of them were either drunk or just trying to get in her pants didn't help her in the least.

Yuna moved from the Isle of Besaid to Zanarkand in her freshman year of high school. All through middle school she'd been wearing contacts periodically to cover up her defect, but when she moved, she took them out. There were stranger people in a city that big, and she figured she should be able to start anew anyway. No one thought it was weird to have two different eye colors, in fact, people thought it was cool and always asked how she did it.

Yuna huffed and combed out her hair. _I just know it. It's gonna be a blah day, even if Rikku is coming to visit._

Her Al Bhed cousin Rikku Dixon always brightened a dark room, but Yuna was too deep in a funk for her younger cousin's shenanigans — yesterday morning left her in a deep depression. Not to mention, her cousin turned a little too sappy for her tastes ever since she and Gippal finally admitted their lust for each other. It was a long time coming, but neither Yuna nor Paine would have thought they would ever walk in on Rikku and Gippal "exploring" their love for each other on more than one occasion.

After Yuna lived through exams and a grueling competition that got her in to the college's prestigious nursing program, she thought she would have the summer all to herself.

That is, until the summons came.

Apparently, some rich kid killed his father and they were looking for jurors. What Yuna could not understand was why had they chosen her? She was still in school, not even done with all her exams. Shouldn't they look for people with more "life experiences"?

_I am _so _not looking forward to the final jury selection. It was way too cold, and I'm not entirely sure it was just the room either. That guy was a wee bit subzero. He was screaming Permafrost!_

Yuna couldn't figure out why he'd done it, or why there was even a trial in the first place.

Everybody knew who the world famous Jecht Corelli was. It seemed as if he had played blitzball since forever. He played professionally and was also the star player for the Zanarkand Abes from A-East. With his help, A-East Zanarkand finally broke Bevelle's winning streak against them. It had been over forty years at the time since any Zanarkand team bested Bevelle.

After his son, Tidus, was born he started to drink. Eventually the drinking became cumbersome. Rumor had it that Jecht had become quite the curmudgeon and that he was abusive towards his only child. Eventually, the celebrity had to enroll in a rehab center.

So imagine everyone's shock when the beloved athlete was found dead in his Bevelle mansion. A memorial service was held for the victim's family, friends, and fans. Almost all of Spira showed up.

No one really had Tidus pinned as a suspect. He was hardly thought of because he wasn't involved in things the typical rich kids would do. He actually worked as a makeup artist for famous photographers and volunteered at some obscure understaffed clinic in his free time.

This was probably because his parents did not make a big deal about their baby boy when he was born like most celebrities did. His pictures weren't sold for millions of dollars. In fact, the public hardly saw a sign of the boy until he was declared borderline genius when he was about fourteen years old. When it became obvious that Tidus wanted to be an ordinary person and was not going to follow in his father's footsteps, public interest in the young man's life dwindled. The attention he got from the media was still enough to be annoying, though.

So, to the media's and their viewers' surprise, a few days after the memorial service, Tidus disappeared into one of the many mysterious uncharted territories in Macalania. Basically, he dodged the police. He even went so far as to ask his mother to prepare a large sum of money for bail, "just in case."

His mother, Johanna Corelli, was well known as well. She was the first Al Bhed-anything to make it big, let alone to be a supermodel. Even though she was hardly one-eighth Al Bhed, her renown was still unsuccessfully blocked from the Bevelle populous. She was immediately eliminated as a suspect. At the time of the murder, she was traveling back to the family's mansion in Zanarkand after being a voluntary patient in a sanatorium home for two years.

Tidus could have lived out his life there with the mythical creatures of Macalania had he not turned himself in. No one knew where he was exactly and no one would have found him.

_I just hope they don't use that whole "battered child syndrome" excuse again._

Despite her young age and the fact that she was attending college in the holiest city in Spira, Yuna couldn't count on her toes and fingers how many murder cases and the like where the defendant begged for mercy because of mental, emotion, and/or physical abuse. It was enough to make her gag.

While her childhood hadn't been as savory as other's were, she didn't go around chopping people up because she didn't get a hug from mommy or daddy. Her father, Braska Bustamante, was always working, and her mother Rachel died from complications due to lung cancer when Yuna was just three years old. Kimahri Ronso, an old friend of her father's, stayed by her side. But when he was declared the new leader of the Ronso, she was moved to the Isle of Besaid. Once there, she had a whole village to keep her company. Most of the people were way older than her, besides Lulu and Wakka, but it was fine. It was a lonely childhood at times, but she made up for it in high school and was enjoying it immensely in college.

Yuna examined her face again and decided not to put on any makeup or braid her rattail. She pulled on a white cotton t-shirt that said "Rassav College" and matching striped boxers. Her belly was in the mood for some Glenn & Berry's "Choco Egg" ice cream, but her mind was not. If she wasn't careful, she would turn into a cow herself.

Yuna looked around the apartment-styled dorm room. It was clean, so really the only thing she could do was either watch TV, sleep, study, or read a book. She couldn't call her long time guardian Kimahri. After all, he is a Ronso leader and was sure he was negotiating peace treaties somewhere in his broken Common.

Besides, he probably didn't have a phone anymore. Ever since the CommSpheres were invented by an Al Bhed boy-genius, one Yuna was proud to know before he became famous, telephones had become obsolete. The only reason why this college still had phones was because the telephone lines hadn't been taken down yet, and officials weren't so comfortable about putting the expensive devices in the rooms. The things were so compact and convenient that even the most trustworthy people weren't trusted to not steal them.

She wasn't in the mood for hearing her other cousin, Brother, fawn over her or his father's lectures on how proper ladies go to college to find a husband and not a job. She did not want to think about the upcoming trial or the fact that she might be signing a person's death certificate, either.

Basically, there was nothing for her to do but sleep and wait for Rikku to show up. And that's what she did until Rikku and Paine came along.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

"Yunie?"

"Yuna"

The large lump on the couch grumbled something inaudibly.

"Yuna, the house is on fire."

Still, nothing.

"Hey look! You've been bleeding all over your sheets!"

Paine looked at the blonde critically. "Donnie's been scrounging through your underwear drawer again."

The lump on the couch bolted up with its fists up. "I'm gonna get that little bastard if it's the last thing I do!"

"Yunie, Paine was just kidding. We've been trying to wake you up for five hours now," Rikku whined. "Get up already!"

Donnie was the RA on the fourteenth floor at Yuna's first dormitory when she was a freshman. Apparently he was fascinated with women's underwear. She requested a move and ended up in one of the upperclassmen's dorm with Brittany Martin. The two girls did not go well together, but it was much better than finding some no good sophomore clawing through and sniffing around in her panties. And the rooms there were decidedly better than freshman quarters.

"For Pete's sake, Yunie, it's almost next week and you still haven't told us how the selection went." Rikku's blonde hair bounced up and down and she became more and more excited. Paine started to wince when her pitch reached an all-time high. "So, what happened, huh?" Rikku practically screamed. "Was he as hot in person as he is on TV? Did he say anything to you, anything at all?"

All Yuna did was fall back down to her bed. She was beginning to think that taking a nap wasn't such a good idea after all. She didn't want to get up. Her problem was remedied, however, when she felt a cold hand on her stomach.

"Say, you don't have any nuns cooking in the oven, do you? You've been sleeping a lot. I heard from somebody that pregnant ladies sleep all the time."

Paine almost choked on her tongue and looked to Yuna for a witty remark.

"No, there aren't any _buns_ cooking in this oven. Now will you let up?"

Because of Rikku's Al Bhed descent, she wasn't well acquainted with idioms originating in Bevelle. It was three years ago that the Al Bhed and Bevellans reached a peace agreement, thanks mostly to Rikku's father, Cid and his brother-in-law, Braska. Because her father was a head figure in Al Bhed society and her mother was not alive, Rikku and Brother were one of the first full-blooded Al Bheds allowed to step foot in Bevelle.

For the sake of her and Paine's ears Yuna decided to answer her hyperactive cousin.

"I have to go to a second session on Thursday, guys." Yuna looked a Rikku.

"Wow, you sound so enthused about it." Rikku stated. She'd never seen her cousin this bummed out about anything.

"Yeah, I just don't like the death penalty. I mean, everybody has to die no matter how good or bad they were. So how is death a just punishment? But I _have_ to be there anyway." Yuna said, "They said something about how almost all the people they looked at when I was there were biased against the defendant, and that they only chose three others. I can't say I really blame them." Yuna added as an afterthought. "And yes, he was hot. Shamefully so."

Rikku was highly disappointed with her cousin's explanation. Something else _must_ have happened. "That's it? No riveting testimonies or anything? No outbursts and objections from the defense? The judge didn't hit his whatchamacallit?"

"Firstly, it was just jury selection, so there haven't been any witnesses. Secondly, the guy was a total ice bucket; he wasn't even paying attention to his lawyer. He didn't seem the least bit interested in saving his life so all he did was look around the room the whole time. And it's called a gavel, sweetie." All through her tirade Yuna's voice was rising ever so slightly.

Paine and Rikku looked at their friend with worried expressions on their faces. Rikku was the first to pipe up.

"I'm telling you Yuna, you need to get laid. All that pent up frustration has to go somewhere."

"I thought I'd never see the day Rikku," Yuna started, with an exasperated tone, "but Gippal has turned you into a sex fiend."

"How do you know if it was Gippal, Yunie? Hey," the girl added, "was that an insult?"

"Is a bullfrog waterproof?"

"Well, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!"

"Oh yeah? Well Paine, go get me some sticks and stones."

Rikku stared at her cousin as if she didn't know her. She was spending way too much time with Paine. She could see the sarcasm rolling off every word that left her mouth. It was becoming too much for her. Her pride could only take so much. Any day now she would have to commit herself to a nunnery. While resting and studying the doctrines of Yevon, she could study rebuffs and build her vocabulary. Yeah, in a few years of praying she would blow Yunie away with her awesome comebacks!

Rikku's smile was starting to split her face when she realized she couldn't hear any breathing. Vivid green eyes opened to an empty room. Apparently, while she was planning the next years of her life, Paine and Yuna had left her in the bedroom.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

Yuna and Paine were munching down on some cereal by the time Rikku recovered from her wounded pride and joined them in the kitchen. She tried to start a conversation but was met by Paine's loud slopping.

_Really, someone should teach her some valuable table manners._

One could not help but be embarrassed whenever they took her out to eat. She stored that thought away for the time being.

"Sorry about yelling at you cuz," Yuna began. "I'm just stressing out over how this is going to work. I'm finally starting my nursing curriculum and they want to lay this one on me." The girl sighed with worldly suffering. "This could last for months for all I know. I wonder if I could remove myself and claim temporary insanity."

Yuna balked at the idea.

Just then, Rikku heard the familiar "ding-buzz" from her CommSphere. She pulled it out of her green handbag and turned it on, only to regret her action seconds afterward. It was Brother.

Contrary to popular belief amongst her friends, her brother's real name was, in fact, Brother. Their father did not want to admit it, but both parents were under the influence of epidural and their father had an extra shot of Novocain; he was a textbook case of sympathetic pregnancy.

Their mother had fallen asleep after the delivery and it was up to Cid to name their first child. He was explaining to a male nurse that the Al Bhed should form an organization called "The Brotherhood: A Peace Group for the Liberation of the Al Bhed Peoples Who Are Not Afraid to Use Weapons or Sneaky Tactics Like the So Called Yevonites of Bevelle Who Would Stoop So Low As to Steal Money from Orphans".

The group was supposed to stop Bevelle's embargo of Zanarkand goods and possibly forge better ties between the races/species. They also wanted to be the voice of the backward and misunderstood people of Kilika.

Earlier that year Bevelle broke contact with Zanarkand because of their "open door" policies and association with the Ronso and Al Bhed. In order to prove his loyalty to the group that wasn't even formed yet Cid named his son Brother. The nurse tried to get him to change his mind, but he would not be deterred. He declared that his son would be the epitome of the group.

Bevelle dropped the embargo on their own when the women of Bevelle went on strike because their foreign sweets and fashions were gone, and the group was never formed.

Brother did not turn out to be the brotherly type at all. He was rather obnoxious and all out weird. Thus, he was antisocial mainly because other people did not want to be social with him. But Cid still became more or less the leader of his people, especially after the massacre at Home, which in turn was the death of his wife.

"Rikku!" Brother yelled into his CommSphere. He still wasn't used to the things. "I am in place near the shop."

Rikku rolled her eyes at his broken Common. They both learned the language when they were young and he still didn't have the hang of it. She was also starting to get annoyed at his vagueness.

"Cbayg eh Al Bhed ev ed'c cu rynf, cdibef!" Rikku yelled back into the CommSphere. That was the only downfall to the handy devices. People still yelled into them as if they were phones. "Speak in Al Bhed if it's so hard, stupid!"

"Okay," her brother replied. "E pnuga so mak trema mevdehk yh ahkeha ib yd tra cnub. E's ymsucd fuha yd dra lmehel cu E haaf ramb tedr keddehk so bnacnebdeur." I broke my leg while lifting an engine up at the shop. I'm almost done at the clinic so I need help with getting my prescription.

The look of pain could clearly be seen through the fuzzy view from the CommSphere. The clinic he was in was slightly overcrowded, but the people in the background did not seem to mind. In fact, it looked as if they were being entertained by something.

Rikku, speaking for all of them (or so Yuna assumed) said, "Tamm, trelr uha? Drana yna y pidd-muyf uv lmehelc futhduth. Yhf trad ec cu vihho?" Well, which one? There are a butt-load of clinics downtown. And what is so funny?

Even though Yuna was half Al Bhed herself, she had never had time to actually learn the language. It was more than convenient that she had two friends who could speak it so fluently.

"Doctor speaks of man who love chocobo too much."

Rikku decided to leave that tidbit alone and turned the CommSphere off. She looked to Paine with stars in her eyes.

Paine, already knowing what Rikku had in mind, answered before the question was asked.

"Only if Yuna comes too."

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

Rikku got her way and arrived at the first Al Bhed clinic established in Bevelle since the treaty. She would rather endure Paine's crazy driving instead of the overheated public bus and all the stops it had to make.

Yuna examined the small building as she got out of the car and was happy to know that not all people in Spira were bad. Although it was officially an Al Bhed haven, people of other races/species were not excluded either. The staff, however small, was mostly Al Bhed with the exception of some students in med school and other young doctors trying to start their personal practices.

The three girls walked into the cramped building and almost gasped at the tidiness of the place, and the contentment on the waiting area's occupant's faces. Normally, free clinics like these were always hot and overstuffed with doctors running around frantically while their patients chastised them for not being efficient enough. Yuna, Rikku and Paine sat down in one of the comfortable couches next to a giant array of ferns.

Paine was just about to remark when she heard an old lady say, "Here he comes again, Nadia."

Yuna turned when she heard the clinic door open. In walked a young man, probably in his twenties. He wore a wool sweater with a cute chocobo pattern and khaki slacks. He wore big sunglasses, which did not hide his features from the occupants of the waiting room; His dark brown hair was mussed up and he had a slight odor to him. None of the girls could place the scent, but the people in the waiting area knew.

The young man sat right next to the three girls, much to their dismay, and paid no attention to the stares he was getting.

After about thirteen more minutes of waiting for Brother, Paine put down her magazine. She nudged Rikku. "Look at how fast his legs are shaking."

Yuna, who noticed the nervous appendages, was trying to inconspicuously inch away from the man for the past ten minutes. She was starting to recognize that smell as chocobo dung. Maybe this was the chocobo lover Brother was talking about.

Rikku and Yuna, as they were trying to escape with their sense of smell, failed to notice the young doctor on the other side of the room staring in their direction, but Paine did not.

The doctor was looking at the chocobo lover with an apprehensive expression on his face as a few nurses showed their pity by patting him on the back and making cooing noises. He didn't stop his scrutiny when he felt a certain female receptionist pat his rear end "accidentally".

Paine could have sworn she saw that guy before. Maybe he went to Rassav or spoke at a convention or something. He didn't look that old, so maybe he was attending the university's med school. She could have seen him on campus, but something was telling her that that was not how she recognized him.

Paine almost dismissed the idea when she heard a weird choking noise come from Yuna. Both she and Rikku turned toward their friend and found her chalk white and doing an impressive imitation of a fish.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

He was sporting stylish glasses that only the rich or the presumptuous would wear. Usually the two went hand in hand. Yuna's body tensed at the way he seemed to saunter toward her with a barely discernable smirk on his handsome features—a smirk that stated he knew something she did not. But to her surprise, instead of towering over her, he squatted down in front of the man that was sitting next to them.

It was then that Yuna wondered since when had she become so paranoid. He didn't even notice her presence. She heaved a sigh of relief. He probably wasn't even "sauntering" towards her as she initially thought.

Tidus was about to tell the man to follow him into a room when he decided to speak up.

"Oh boy, Dr. Corelli, am I glad you're here." The young man started. His leg was fidgeting less now. "I. . . er—umm sort of did it again."

It seemed as if the whole clinic was quiet and waiting for the drama to unfold.

"You see, last night I went to the Mi'ihen Highroad and was engaged in (cough) uh, some st—strenuous activities with. . ."

Tidus didn't want to let the man finish. He could already smell the "strenuous activities" the male was involved in. "Just, tell me what happened," he saw the man begin to speak and interrupted him. "AFTERWARDS!"

The clinic busted out in laughter at the patient's embarrassment.

"Well, it bit my ton—"

"I said afterwards."

"I sort of think I fell apart, you know, _afterwards_. And this burning is unbearable." Suddenly, the young man felt the urge to elaborate.

"Can't you see I love 'em, man? How can you not?" He began at a moderately low volume. "I mean, the way they say "kweh" gets me hot. And you know what else, I ain't ashamed—"

"You should be," Some smartass interjected.

The man got up and pointed to a not-so-hot looking guy. "You shut your filthy mouth, you dirty, rotten scoundrel, or I'll bust you up!"

Tidus tried to calm the man down by patting his ridiculous sweater and get him to follow him toward a back room. He was pretty sure that his face was a nice beet color.

Just then the man stood up in the chair and spread his arms wide. "They're beautiful, man. The way their wings spread out just when they're just about to—"

Yuna knew for a fact that she didn't want to hear about this man's burning genitals or how hot he got when an animal made a noise or why their wings were spreading out. She also wanted to stop noticing how cute the killer looked when he blushed, so she snuffed up the courage to speak to _him_. "Could you please have this conversation elsewhere?"

Tidus didn't miss a beat. He already knew who the female was. The animal lover wasn't the only thing he was surveying. "Yes, I think we should. Come on, Donnie."

Sure enough, when the young man got up and took his glasses off, it was the panty-creep, Donnie. Yuna had enough and walked out of the clinic, only to walk back in after some old guy asked for her phone number.

She hated Downtown.

By the time she got back to her seat, Donnie and the killer were gone.

"Wow, Yunie. I didn't know you had that much spirit in you." Rikku could not believe the events that took place just now. She finally got to see what Donnie looked like, and he wasn't _that_ bad looking.

Just then, Brother came limping out of a back door while cuddling with a cute nurse.

_Finally, _Yuna thought.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

After going to the pharmacy and dropping Brother off, the girls decided to go to a Glenn & Berry's ice cream shop. They'd never been to this one before. It was in the heart of the downtown area and seemed to be the hangout place for the area's "alternative" kids.

"So," Rikku began with a roll of her eyes, "_That_ was the guy you're gonna convict?"

Yuna nodded an affirmative as she ate her BLT sandwich.

"He was, um," Rikku struggled to find the right word. Trying to translate things from Al Bhed quickly was still a little bit difficult. "kind of pretty, you know, for a guy, I mean."

Paine nodded her head as well.

Rikku snorted into her milkshake, spilling some of its contents on the table. Between the two of them, they looked like old mother hens doting over a baby chick.

"I knew I recognized him from somewhere. But I'd never think he was a murderer if I saw him on the street." Paine lowered her voice on the last part of her input. She didn't want the people around her thinking that Yuna and Rikku were lunatics.

"Hey, aren't you two being a little bit unfair?" Rikku whined peevishly. "What if he didn't do it?"

The other two girls looked at their companion critically. Yuna felt Rikku's forehead and Paine examined her pulse.

"She doesn't have a fever."

"And she's definitely not dead."

Rikku just rolled her eyes and called the waiter back to their table.

A/N:

Boy, am I getting a taste of my own medicine! People have been hitting this story, but I've only received correction three reviews (thank you so much). Gone are the days when I read a story and not add my two-cents! I guess it is to be expected, though. This isn't nearly as good as the ones I'm reading now.

Criticism is appreciated. Random comments that have nothing to do with this story whatsoever, like did I brush my teeth this morning, are welcome as well.

Just wanted you to know that while I was correcting this, I was listening to Utada Hikaru's Wings. Good song, good times.


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **. . . you know I don't.

**Only a Plank Between One and Perdition**

**Chapter Three – _Who mourns for Adonis?_**

It was almost midnight and Tidus was packing up his belongings. He had decided to work overtime on his last day on the job. There were a few of his colleagues' patients that would need better care than the clinic could provide for them. He wanted to make sure that they got that attention. . . no matter what they thought of him now.

The young boy didn't know why he tried anymore. It seemed as if everything was blowing up in his face and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't know how he could turn the situation around, but the circumstances had to be changed somehow. If he couldn't do it. . . he didn't know what—

"Mr. Corelli?"

Just as his thoughts were getting their darkest, the clinic director walked in to inform him of his termination. Tidus decided to jump the gun and quit.

"I know, sir. I'll save you time and money and just quit."

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

He knew it had to come some time.

Tidus would miss the clinic though. Oddly enough, some of his best memories were there: from Lois, the nurse who always gave him a motherly pinch at least twice a day, to the insane chocobo lover who came in periodically with some ridiculous story about his romps on the Highroad.

He would even miss some of the walkers that helped the patients on their death beds. They had had some interesting conversations in the past about the world and its future.

He would miss it oh so very much. So much so that his eyes were misting up without his knowledge.

Tidus also knew that he couldn't go back to being a makeup artist either. The photographers and their sponsors would not want any bad publicity for working with him after being indicted. That wouldn't be a smart career move at all, no matter how many friends he'd made or the incredible talent everyone knew he had.

He wiped his face and continued to pack his belongings. There wasn't much, really. There was only a picture of his mom and a few knick-knacks some of the younger patients made him. He was basically just packing things he had already packed probably an hour before.

The truth was that he did not want to leave the clinic yet. He didn't want to leave the patients, the doctors or the nurses behind. He didn't want to sit at home knowing that he could be making a difference in someone's life. He didn't like the fact that when he could have been saving someone, he would be laying on his ass in front of the TV.

He found himself missing the famous people in fashion as well.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

His mother was the first woman with Al Bhed blood in her veins to make it big in Bevelle. She was the one who introduced him to her friends when he was a young boy. His diseased father, Jecht Corelli, wanted him to be a blitz star, but not as famous of course.

From the time Tidus could speak until he was four years old, Jecht took him to every practice so he could teach his son the game. And learn he did. It seemed as if the boy was born for the water. He could perform complex blitz moves that took his father years to master. Once it became apparent that one day Tidus would surpass his father, Jecht stopped taking him to practices. He still attended the games with his mother, of course, but things weren't the same again between him and his father.

Around the time he was turning seven years of age, the people around him started to notice strange. He was a bright child. He was already reading on the level of adults and he had a strange fascination with the Temples of Spira. He hardly talked to anyone his age. It was always either his mother's associates or the very old.

Tidus inherited the looks of his mother. He got her silky, blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. Because she was only partially Al Bhed, she only had a faint lightning design in her ice blue eyes that matched well with her pale skin and hair. The only thing that reminded anyone of his father was his darker skin color and Jecht's obnoxious attitude whenever he felt like showing it. Tidus knew he had something that others did not and he knew from some point early in his life that he would be unjustly punished for it no matter what he did to fit in.

So, when the boys at his school started to pick on him for his androgynous qualities, he did not tell his parents. He defended himself, either.

Even though the years of playing blitzball with his father taught him a little bit about self defense, he never fought. He took the gradual beatings as they came and without a complaint.

Finally, his mother decided to take him out of school and let him travel the world with her. That way he could see the Temples and meet interesting people along the way.

Johanna's manager loved her son and wanted to recruit him. Almost every photographer loved how Tidus could sometimes be male and look feminine at the same time. They loved the expression and odd wisdom behind his eyes. They loved how he could be loud and flamboyant in one second and meek and well-behaved the next. He didn't balk at the vulgarity and sometimes downright weirdness of the industry, despite his age. He got along so well with the people, it seemed as if he had been working for years.

One day for a fashion show promotion, he saw his mother transformed from a beautiful woman in her twenties to a young man in a matter of hours. The way they colored and cut her hair to make it more boyish and the false stubble they added to her cheeks inspired him. He wanted to do that. He wanted to give girls wild headdresses and have them parade in the most ridiculous clothes he'd ever seen.

A man who went by the name of Fabulous took Tidus under his wing and he had been a makeup artist ever since.

The idea of working at the clinic started when he was with his mother in Kilika. The people of that city, or more accurately village, still believed in the old ways. Most of the people found doctors to be offensive and medicine to be too intrusive. They pictured doctors as being allied with Bevellans, and the people of Kilika had had enough grief from the people of Bevelle. At that point in Tidus' life, the village of Kilika wanted nothing to do with Bevelle.

He had witnessed the near death of a little girl because of it.

Ever since that day, he wanted to bring medicine to small villages like that. He enrolled into Rassav College and breezed through the classes. This was one of the only times he used his name to get something he wanted. He never graduated from any school besides elementary, and he hardly did that because he was always traveling around the world with his mother. No one was naïve enough to believe that someone could get into a college without any high school experience or test scores, but he did. He felt guilty about it, but he believed it was for the greater good.

He had aced his exam and became Dr. Corelli. He was working on his residency when Jecht was discovered dead and he was determined to be the cause.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

He had never thought he could get so attached to something before.

The one thing he hated was being able to do nothing. He detested sitting around the house and loafing about.

_Idle hands spend time at the genitals, and we know how much Yevon hates that_.

"Hey."

Tidus turned around as a delicate voice ripped through his thoughts. It was Lois.

"I made you something," she started, "I know it isn't much of anything. . . but you know—"

Tidus stopped her from talking any further and took the small cupcake from her hands. It was probably by far the nicest thing someone had ever done for him.

Being born was the worst.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

Lois watched as the boy in front of her ate his cupcake with gusto. He hardly talked, laughed or made a joke. He was never late and all his patients loved him, even Donnie the choco-boy. He seemed to be of sound mind and wasn't harsh on the eyes. He was intelligent, didn't have any illegitimate children, rich, didn't seem to be too stuck up either. He worked in a free clinic where the pay was astronomically poor.

So why did he ruin his life in one night?

After he fled he hadn't had the courage to ask him outright. This hesitation was present mostly because he was away, obviously, but also because he was intimidating despite his being docile for the most part. Something about him screamed 'don't mess with me'.

Tonight wasn't one of those nights.

"Why'd you do it Ty?"

The young man sighed. He knew this would come as well. He felt it in the atmosphere at the clinic. People who had trusted him for almost two years doubted him. They were afraid that he would snap on them too. The silly people started to believe in the idiom that it was always the quiet ones who were the worst. Some even quit due to his still being employed, and he knew that the clinic could not afford that major loss. They were severely understaffed and needed all the workers they could get.

The only people who didn't give up on him were Lois and his patients.

He honestly did not know what to tell her. When it happened, there was some type of 'for the greater good' plan in mind, but it all went away the moment he'd realized what had transpired. It went away the moment he had known that he could not go back.

"I really don't know anymore, Lois."

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

It was Friday and the jury for Tidus Arcangelo Corelli's murder trial was finally chosen the day before and announced a few hours ago.

Yuna Bustamante had the distinct displeasure of informing her friends, and her soon to be overly eager cousin, of her future participation.

The young woman made sure not to leave anything on the bus. The last time she rode she lost a pair of Rikku's very expensive sunglasses. She exited the bus and felt a small prickling on the back of her neck. She felt like someone was following her down the street.

Yuna passed the Student Union house and decided to go to her mailbox. She didn't know why she was checking it; the post office was never open on break. She just felt this funny feeling that she was being followed.

As Yuna walked down the stairs to the mailboxes she reflected on her day in court yesterday. The defendant, now known to her as Tidus Corelli, was definitely going to lose now.

She arrived to her dorm only to find a gang of reporters in front of her building when she arrived home.

_I'm not going to enjoy this one bit._

A/N: So yep… looking over this story I've realized that there definitely was and is a different and less complicated way to get the meeting going. However, I did not want this one to be like the ones before (find each other, fall in love, kill bad guy, over) and the ones I read all the time. I know where I want it to be and I've imagined what the ending would be like. Actually, I already have the ending, but the problem is getting there.

I also must say that I watch Meet Joe Black with a friend today. Brad Pitt is definitely past his peak.

The getting a hold on college thing was an excuse. I could have written this whole story with all the sleeping, and eating, and walking and more sleeping I did over the semester (don't worry, I'm on the Dean's List if you care about my grades 3.4) but I just wasn't up to the task or the hole I dug myself into. And, as you know, the three reviews and hundred something hits (yes, you guys!) and the thinking involved with this overwhelmed me just a tad bit.

Hopefully you have noticed that my titles thus far have been from the original _Star Trek_ series. But this one, Adonis is really supposed to be Adonais. I thought it sounded retarded because I am that big of a Greek mythology buff so I changed it to Adonis.

Also, if you guys like the Shins you should listen to _When You Land Here It's Time to Return_ by Flake Music. They were the Shins before they became the Shins. New CD comes out on the 23rd, or somewhere around there!!!!

And since you're reading fanfic, I'll assume that you know who Ma'aya Sakamoto is. Listen to _23 Ji no Ongaku_ (music for the 23rd hour?) And while you're at it, pick up Air's _Moon Safari_ and _Talkie Walkie_


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: **Playing FreeCell right now and I am bored out of my mind.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it.

**Only a Plank Between One and Perdition**

**Chapter Four: _The Menagerie_**

LeBlanc Meriian, reporter extraordinaire, waited on the front lawn of Yuna Bustamante's dormitory. The young college student was nowhere to be found, so she decided to spruce up her appearance a bit.

LeBlanc had a taste for the overly dramatic. Her former ensemble consisted of purples, pinks, and a giant red heart in the middle of her chest. The boss at the head of the network she worked for said it was "too risqué" for the younger children who viewed the news program. This simple and magnificently boring outfit was her new and more 'sophisticated' look.

The blonde woman thought the producers were turning her into her rival, Shelinda Thompson, more and more every day.

She smoothed down her gaudy fuchsia suit and took out a compact to check for any cowlicks or leftover asparagus in her teeth. She was on the new all vegetable diet. The name of it escaped her for the moment.

"Is this ok, darling? How do I look?"

The silent cameraman nodded his head in affirmation and continued waiting for Miss Bustamante.

LeBlanc's thoughts turned toward her young husband, Nooj Merivian. She couldn't wait to she him when he returned from Kilika. He had been in the hick village for almost two months trying to resolve some issues between the despairing young people and the elders of the Temple. Ever since the arrival of the Corelli kid and his medicine, the young people had been demanding changes in the way they lived from day to day.

Most of the work was done by the young men of the village, so they decided to go on strike to teach the old people a lesson.

_To tell the truth_, LeBlanc thought as she flicked her hair back and forth, _I don't give a damn about those backwoods morons. As long as my Noojie Woojie comes back in one piece, I'm fine._

LeBlanc Saint-Saëns and Nooj Merivian were married two years ago when she was twenty-nine and he twenty-one. Her friends and associates were worried over the nine year age difference, but she would not let that little detail get in the way of what she thought of as true love. The first year was hell. They had to adjust to seeing each other all the time and waking up to the same person every morning. But Nooj's political job kept him away most of the time, so they were never tired of each other whenever they met. In a way, it was more like a dating situation where both parties had their own homes and could back away whenever things got too heavy.

She loved her husband dearly, but there were times when she just wanted to bask in her own beauty for a day.

LeBlanc's cameraman whistled once he saw the now familiar profile of their target for the day.

"All right, baby, here she comes."

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

Yuna regretted leaving her mailbox for this. She arrived to her dorm only to find a gang of reporters in front of her building.

It was eerie how still they were as she walked up to the ten story building. She knew that as soon as she was three feet away from them, they would throw a barrage of questions her way.

Yuna looked to her left and right, her long rattail smacking her in the cheek with the movement.

She wouldn't make it if she tried to make a run for it. They would probably twist her actions if she did so anyway. So Yuna decided to tough it out and see what happened.

Yuna almost did a double take once she recognized the snide mug of LeBlanc Merivian. Paine watched all of LeBlanc's exclusive interviews just for kicks. The woman was piercing and hard hitting. She showed no mercy for her guests and always got a response from someone, given willingly or not. Yuna was not looking forward to facing the intimidating woman.

As soon as she saw LeBlanc's start to form a question, a strong arm grabbed her out of harm's way.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

"Oh my gosh, Gippal! Thank you so much!"

Yuna giggled and gave her cousin's boyfriend a giant hug. "What are you doing here? Weren't you at Home scheduling a dig or something?"

Home is the Al Bhed headquarters that used to be hidden in the middle of Bikanel Desert. After the peace treaty with Bevelle was signed, the Al Bhed disclosed their location reluctantly. There had been many extreme confrontations between Bevellans and the Al Bhed. Their only reassurance was in the fact that Home was hidden their only enemy.

She was so excited to see him. Now, maybe her cousin would get off her back and start clinging to Gippal again. She was starting to get annoyed with the eighteen year old.

Gippal Casem was the epitome of an Al Bhed man. He had their blonde hair, strange, green eyes, and cat-like features. Because Gippal grew up in Home, his skin was toughened up from the sun exposure and he was tall and lean from foraging and digging through the desert.

Yuna looked Gippal over and noticed that he had a new eye patch on. This one was dark and shiny like a hematite stone with a barely noticeable checker design.

She remembered the day when Gippal lost his right eye. She and Gippal were trying to teach Rikku how to swim. Because stayed in Home, there weren't many opportunities for her to learn how to swim. Gippal moved away to Zanarkand when he was fourteen, much to the chagrin of Cid and Rikku.

Rikku was just got the hang of floating when she decided to take a break. She was lying down on a lounge chair watching Yuna dive when some guy tried to hit on her. Yuna had never seen anyone _so_ jealous in her life.

One thing led to another and the man whipped out a pair of brass knuckles and punched the guts out of Gippal's eye. He had to be hospitalized immediately. But even their expedience couldn't save his eye.

Yuna shook herself out of her reverie and brought her self back to the present. Gippal had gotten more tan as well.

"I came back three days ago," Gippal started, "but then Rikku kicked me out again last night." His jaw tightened with the thought of their most recent argument. She was certain that the reason why he never took her anywhere with him was because he had a little extra on the side. That wasn't the case, of course, but one couldn't convince Rikku otherwise when her mind was made up. The reason why she never tagged along was because she was too loud and didn't think to cover herself up every once in a while. He actually made the mistake of saying that out loud and that opened _another_ can of worms.

Gippal tousled his dirt-blonde hair awkwardly as he thought about the argument. "I'd rather not talk about it here, if you don't mind."

"Sure." Yuna stated, while trying not to look too sympathetic. Gippal hated people feeling sorry for him. "Anything you want after saving my skin like that."

"How 'bout you treat me to a burger and fries. I'm kinda strapped for cash right now." Gippal scratched his head again — he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I left my wallet and other valuable objects back at the house."

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

Dingo Dango was a beloved burger joint in Downtown Bevelle. It was established about fifty years ago and was still as popular as it was back then. Its signature logo consisted of a goofy looking water flan with bucked teeth and huge eyes named Boingo. Every commercial was about Boingo's never ending quest to taste a Dingo Dango burger. Recently they had been a little bit dry and not funny, but Yuna still ate there.

As far as Yuna was concerned, Dingo Dango was the ultimate authority figure on burgers, and should be the only burger place in all of Spira. They were cheap, good, and dependable.

Yuna ordered her usual triple-decker bun value meal while Gippal ordered three cartons of jumbo sized fries. He didn't really feel like eating meat at the moment.

Yuna didn't like talking while she ate. Most of her friends seemed to respect that fact, expect Rikku of course.

The two were almost done with their meal when a familiar face walked in.

"Oh, Yuna! I haven't seen you since. . . I haven't seen you in ages!" The man shouted across the small room.

"Oh no, Gippal, it's that kid Donnie I told Rikku about."

Gippal remembered her stories about the weird guy who worshipped her underwear on a nightly basis until she moved away.

"Apparently he's into chocobos now."

Yuna didn't want to talk to him now, or ever.

Donnie slowly walked over to where Yuna was sitting. His hesitation was due to the fact that there was a strange guy sitting with her. He'd never she him before anywhere. He was also looking like he could crush his head if he tried anything on Yuna.

Gippal eyed the man walking across the room. His hair was ruffled and he was looking a bit rough around the edges. Not to mention a pungent stench that was coming off of him from at least five feet away.

"Do you want me to get rid of this guy for ya?"

Yuna nodded her head vigorously. It seemed like it was Gippal's day for rescuing her, and her day for needing rescuing.

Just then, Gippal gently grabbed her neck and started to play with her hair. She had to admit that she was a little surprised, but whatever got her out of the situation was fine.

She started to blush a shiny crimson when his calloused fingers tickled up her neck.

Donnie got the picture and decided to leave her alone. "Ok. . . well, I guess I see y—"

Just as he was about to exit the establishment, the bell rang and he bumped into a petite figure.

"Well, hello there beautiful. Can I get—" Donnie was cut off by a sharp thrust to the stomach. Apparently, 'beautiful' was as angry as he was to see the two canoodling at their table.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

_Calm down, Rikku, just calm down._

She stopped by Yuna's dorm only to see a swarm of reporters on the lawn. Paine shoved through the confusion stating that she was going to the gym to let off some steam. Rikku asked where Yuna was and Paine suggested that she was probably hiding from the 'blithering idiots' gathered on her lawn.

Rikku went to Yuna's house just to talk about her fight with Gippal. The girl completely forgot the upcoming trial and Yuna's involvement in it. She knew she needed to tone down her jealous tendencies, but Rikku remembered how much of a playboy he was back at Home. Gippal would flirt all his life if he was given the chance. He couldn't stay away from a beautiful female face no matter what. Yuna told her he tried to get into her pants when they first met, but then he realized that the two of them were cousins.

She was anticipating his arrival for weeks. He called her about two weeks before he knew when he was coming back. She had been so excited that she didn't stop to think why he never called her before. Normally when his digs lasted for months she would get to talk to him at least three times a week. Sometimes a sand storm would stop him, but he would call eventually.

It was just a few days before his arrival when the wheels in her mind started to click. She put together scenarios and analyzed imaginary suspicious pauses in his speech. She dreamt up some gorgeous Al Bhed girl who knew everything about machines and was interested in organizing digs and didn't nag as much as she did. Pretty soon that dream became real and Rikku began to see her in every female she saw on the streets.

She even snapped at a girl in Yuna's dorm who was known for her promiscuous ways and success with the boys. The girl was just talking to one of her friends about how she slept with some guy who already had a girlfriend in a unisex bathroom. She was bragging about it for at least fifteen minutes before Rikku walked over and hit her with a barrage of Al Bhed curse words.

Her jealousy had definitely gotten the best of her when she accused Gippal of bringing another woman in their small house. Her foundation was a loaf of bread that was leaning to the left and a well-trodden floorboard in the living room.

It was stupid of her, but how would it look if she all of a sudden took her words back and actually admitted that she was wrong?

So Rikku decided to ask for Yunie's advice. She may not have had many boyfriends, but Yuna seemed to be wise enough. Plus, she had helped her with her first breakup with Gippal.

So when Paine told her that Yuna was gone, she left her car in the parking lot and started the short walk to Dingo Dango's. She knew it was Yuna's favorite burger place. Rikku also knew that Gippal would try to come home again, so she figured the free food would butter Yuna up before she asked to stay at her place for the night.

She opened the glass door of Dingo Dango's only to see that same cousin gushing over that same jerk, Gippal.

Never mind that idiot at the door, or the staring customers. Yuna, over there, with her Gippal?! Was she going insane?

_Just walk over, calmly and slowly. Don't make more of a scene than you've already had, Rikku._

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

"Oh shit. I'm in for it now."

Gippal set his head on the beige table. His hearing wouldn't be the same after this one-sided yelling match.

"Hey Yunie. Hello Gippal." Rikku had a very scary smile plastered on her face. To their audience, she looked perfectly amiable, but to them, they could see the maliciousness and anger behind it.

"How's it going guys?"

Yuna gulped and replied, "Everything's fine. Um, hey, this," Yuna pointed between herself and Gippal for effect, "is _not_ what it looks like."

"You know, Yuna, I expected this from Gippal, but not from you."

Gippal scoffed when she said this. "Is that what you think about me?" He turned to Yuna. "The reason why she thinks I'm cheating is because some area on the living floor has been walked on. And, according to her, she doesn't wear her heels in that spot, so that _must _mean that some woman was in the house when she wasn't there."

Rikku started to interrupt him but he held out his finger. "Then, get this," Gippal laughed scornfully, "because the bread was leaning to the left, she thought some left-handed woman was there."

By this time, Gippal was furious. He had told her before that if her attitude didn't change, then he would leave. "She never once thought that maybe there was axel grease on my right hand, or that one of my friends was left-handed." He was trying his best to keep his voice down, but it wasn't working. "I guess that never crossed your mind did it?"

"Well," Rikku started shakily, "I remember a time when _you_ would jump into any girl's pants if you were sure you had the chance!"

"I remember that that was a long time ago." Gippal retorted. "I also remember that I chose your pants to get into."

Things were a little quiet after that and it seemed like the whole establishment was looking at the tiny drama unraveling itself at the beige table.

Yuna started to feel uncomfortable, so she got up to leave.

"You stay right there." Gippal stated. "Some guy was trying to bother you and I was just helping. Rikku is going to apologize because she realizes this and the fact that you nor I would never do that to her."

Yuna sat down immediately. She looked to a now teary-eyed Rikku.

"I'm sorry, Yunie. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Apology accepted, Rikku."

Yuna was seriously wondering when she could leave. She had somewhere to be in an hour.

"I'm telling you Rikku, I won't stand for this again."

"I know."

"Most guys would have left by now."

"I know."

"I think it's time for me to leave, Rikku."

"No please don't do that!"

Now Yuna _really_ wanted to leave, she knew exactly where this line of conversation was going. Pretty soon they would be slobbering all over each other.

_Yep, I was right._

Those two really had no self control. They were in a public place full of people, _children_ even, and they were going at each other's throats, romantically speaking.

Yuna high-tailed it out of Dingo Dango's as fast as her feet would carry her. On her way to her appointment, she swore to herself to never put two people together. They would only end up blaming her for their problems.

**»**º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º**«**

A/N:

**ThePirateJilt:** That's my problem with this story. In the game, Tidus went through near death situations and the fact that his could-be girlfriend was supposed to die. Even through all of that, his very rambunctious personality still showed. There were some dull spots, but he was still positive. In this story, Tidus is facing a for-sure death situation, but he's all sullen and whatnot.

I suppose I'm trying to fit Tidus into something he isn't, but it works for this story (at least in my mind it does). So he's going to stay borderline genius, even though I know that that's stretching a little too much, and he will be calm for the most part. A possible note of interest would be this quote from the last chapter:

"They loved how he could be loud and flamboyant in one second and meek and well-behaved the next."

So does this work or at least alleviate the blatant OOC-ness? It probably doesn't mean much now, but I'll keep it in mind and try to make it work now that you've pointed out the problem.

Also, I was going to have a meeting in this chapter, but I thought that this would be a good place to end. I'm going back to school this week so there won't be any internet connection going on here for a few days. My schedule is ridiculous for real this time around. I'm also thinking about getting a job, so I'll try really hard but I don't know about updates for this semester.

LeBlanc's last name came from the French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns. He is most recognized for his composition, The Carnival of the Animals. My favorite sections from it are "The Swan" and "Aquarium".

BTW, in the first Austin Powers, they said that they saved Dr. Evil's semen and created a son for him. But in the second part, there's this memory where Frau (sp) basically says she's pregnant. So how is that possible? And how old is Scott then? Just wondering.


End file.
